Jesus came to bring us peace, the peace which breaks down the barriers of sin. Sin fractures the common bonds of humanity, and so creates discord within humanity. We, humanity, indeed, all of creation is meant to be one even as God is one. We are called to love one another, so that through such love, the relative distinctions which exist between persons do not end up becoming the source of bitter hostility and strife. We are to love one... Read more
The release of the McCarrick Report has revealed what has long been believed and understood: sin and corruption not only affects the world at large, but it has likewise infected the earthly church, causing great scandal, but also great harm to many innocents within and outside the church.[1] The church, even when it is called together by the grace of God, and through that grace, to bring God’s presence to the world, nonetheless has a dark side to it, a... Read more
The message of Christ is the message of hope. He brought us good news: God loves the world. He wants to share himself and his love with the world. Sin takes us away from God, but God is willing to forgive us, to work with us, to help us so that sin does not have the last word. Sin, because it takes us away from God, the source and foundation of our being, leads to death. Sin is nihilistic and... Read more
Christ, during his earthly ministry, found himself to be in the middle of a debate as to how the Jewish tradition, and therefore the practice of the Jewish faith, should and would continue in the future. Each of the various groups involved in the debate had some good associated with them. None of them were completely wrong. Jesus acknowledged this in the way he told his disciples to honor the “Seat of Moses” (cf. Matt. 23:2). Nonetheless, each of the... Read more
The teaching of theosis tells us that God became man so that man can become God. That is, God’s plan was to draw humanity into the divine life through the incarnation. By becoming human, by becoming a particular human, the man Christ Jesus, God assumed a created nature. All that is created has a created nature. Thus, just as becoming human made him one with humanity, by assuming a created nature, Christ is made one with the whole of creation.... Read more
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. These are the two guiding principles of the Law of Moses, the principles which will never go away. Many theologians have suggested that the two tablets on which the Ten Commandments were divided likely represented these two principles, one tablet for God and what is expected of us concerning our love for God, and the other in regards humanity, and what... Read more
It is common for some people to say to each and every critic of capitalism, because they are critical of capitalism, they must be socialists, and if they are socialists, they must not be given credence since socialism is erroneous. Such an argument an ad hominem fallacy, because whether or not a critique is accurate does not depend upon if someone is a socialist or not. Indeed, if the reverse were done, and someone denounced a capitalist criticism of socialism... Read more
A few minutes after a statue a statue of Jesus, depicted as a homeless man sleeping man on a park bench, was installed, police in Cleveland received a phone call telling them what they saw: a homeless man sleeping on a bench in a rather wealthy side of town. When the police arrived on the scene, they realized that what someone thought was a homeless man was actually a statue. The statue represents in a visual form what Jesus had... Read more
Sts. Cosmas and Damian were famous for being physicians who helped those in need without looking for any payment in return. That is, they gave their medical services for free. They did so as Christians, following the example of Christ, who likewise healed people without recompense. They were well trained in the faith by their mother, St. Theodota. She taught them the faith, and also taught them what the faith expected from them. She instilled in them a passion for... Read more
Pope Francis, in his newest encyclical, explains how good politicians are concerned about the common good, not about their own private interests. They seek to help society, to make it better. Thus, they ask themselves questions, trying to determine if what they do is only for themselves or if it is for others: At times, in thinking of the future, we do well to ask ourselves, “Why I am doing this?”, “What is my real aim?” For as time goes... Read more
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